Spring!!!!

I know we're supposed to have rain tomorrow & snow next week, but today was a great spring day, so I spent lots of time working in the yard & the garden beds. Kohlrabi & radishes are now planted and we will hope the snow doesn't scare them away. Honestly, if we didn't have snow in January, why must we have it now?

The crucuses (croci?) are up and blooming
and the assorted tulips are up and starting to bloom. Notice anything?
For being "assorted," they're all looking pretty much exactly the same color to me. We also planted some striped tulips and anemones--neither of which have made an appearance yet. I've never grown tulips before (and at less than 50% am not doing such a great job of it now), so I'm excited that ANY of them came up. I have been warned that they will spread, but we'll have to see about that. If I can kill off half of them before they ever started to come up, what are the odds I'll be overrun by the things in a few years......?

Thinking Outside The Box

Andy surprised me with this the other day:It's a chocolate "CandleTini!"

Hey, three months into this, I'll take even a fake chocolate martini! Did I pick the right man or what?

New Lesson Learned Today

I have been checking the local headlines today for reports of a woman wandering Boise this afternoon with some sort of strange disease involving blue lips and purple teeth.

Here's a little tip for you: Frozen blueberries are a great snack & really good for you, but it's probably best to not eat them on the way out the door to run errands.......

Spring! Sort of....

Since we had 2 days in a row without snow & it was actually in the 60s yesterday, I decided it was time for the strawberries to move outdoors.Strawberries must be fairly easy to grow as they have been thriving in the kitchen without a bit of sunlight.

The butter lettuce isn't doing so wellthough I'm not sure if it was caused by the hail, snow, or perhaps the freezing temperatures at night, but it's not looking good. The broccoli is doing fine
and....SOMETHING IS COMING UP!!! It's either kale or beets--I don't actually care which--but they're coming up!

And the blueberry bushes--which were enjoying the garage--moved outside last night.
Since blueberries like acidic soil, we buried some coffee grounds, pine needles, and peat moss around the roots, and will be giving them a little vinegar later this summer. (Really, is there anything vinegar can't do?) I don't know how big they have to get before we actually get blueberries, but I'm not extremely hopeful for this year. Those skinny little twigs don't look very promising. Oh well, frozen blueberries are pretty good--and totally legal. And then next year.....

I Really, Really, REALLY Hate To Admit This, But......

Eating this way makes a HUGE difference.

There. I've admitted it. This silly experiment of mine is actually really good for us. Andy, having had the sense to weigh himself when this started, has even lost 10 pounds this year. I don't have low blood sugar problems any more. When we have forbidden foods as "cheats," my stomach hurts afterwards. We sleep better. We have more energy. Dang it! This really is good for us. The big question is, can this be a permanent lifestyle in today's world?

Stand Back!!! I'm Being Brilliant!

Soup Night is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Once a month, I make two soups and we host a 3-hour open house where friends drop in, mingle, and relax. It's a great way to see more of our friends on a regular basis, and a chance for our friends to get to know each other. Of course, the drawback is.....

Summer is coming.

A nice steaming bowl of soup just loses its appeal when it's 104 degrees outside, and I just don't like cold soup. I've tried, and while a few of my friends make wonderful gazpacho, it's a bit too much like eating salsa for me. I was trying to think of replacement ideas for soup night, but the Year of No Processed Foods rules have eliminated almost everything, and what was left was eliminated by the very nature of "soup night."

Soup Night works because the soup can be kept warm on the stove during the party--provided the soups don't contain rice or noodles or anything else that continues to expand indefinitely. Sometimes people come early, sometimes they come late, and sometimes we have more people than the usual 20 or so, so there also has to be an inexact amount of food. Soup is perfect, and any leftovers can usually be frozen. We did briefly think of ice cream, but unless we make it ourselves or buy 30 little pint containers of Haggen Daz, it's all illegal....not to mention really, REALLY messy.

But, what to do about summer was a problem....but I think I have it now:

June will be a pancake supper
July will be a zucchini cookoff
August will be a salsa-tasting

I'll let you know if anyone shows up in July.....

Headlines That Might Be April Fool's Hoaxes

Everyone knows the famous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast and the panic it caused, and every year people fall prey to April Fools Jokes around the world. So, as a public service, if you see any of the following, you might double-check before calling your congressman....

* REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

* CEO TURNS DOWN LARGE CORPORATE BONUS, SAYING "I DON'T DESERVE IT."

* DEMOCRATS TELL OCTOMOM "YOU WANTED 'EM, YOU PAY FOR 'EM"

* CONGRESS SETS ASIDE PARTY POLITICS AND WORKS TOGETHER FOR THE LONG-TERM GOOD OF THE COUNTRY

* MICK JAGGER RETIRES

* EXILE IN NIGERIA TRYING TO SEND MONEY TO PRIVATE ACCOUNTS IN AMERICAN FOUND TO BE LEGIT

* US COLLEGES TO DROP SPORTS TO PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON ACTUAL EDUCATION

* IDAHO LEGISLATURE DECLARES "EDUCATION SHOULD BE ABOUT LEARNING AND NOT ABOUT TEST SCORES"

* FOX NETWORK TO INTRODUCE NEW FALL LINEUP FEATURING THOUGHT-PROVOKING, TASTEFUL SHOWS

* FUNDAMENTALIST TERRORIST GROUP ADMITS THEY REALLY AREN'T ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING AND TAKES UP KNITTING BLANKETS FOR THE POOR

* WALL STREET TRADER DECLARES, "UP OR DOWN A FEW POINTS HERE AND THERE DOESN'T MATTER. I'M IN THIS FOR THE LONG-HAUL"

* WALMART FORCED TO CLOSE ITS DOORS AS AMERICANS DECIDE THAT BUYING CHEAP CRAP PRODUCED IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES REALLY IS BAD FOR THE ECONOMY

* FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ADMITS HE REALLY MADE SOME DOOZIES OF MISTAKES

* MEXICO INSISTS ON TIGHTER FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS FOR EXPORTS

* MORE AND MORE AMERICANS CONVERTING THE TV ROOM INTO A LIBRARY

* MICROSOFT RELEASES A NEW OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT ANY BUGS

* GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS WRITES NEW BOOK: GEORGE W. BUSH--A MISUNDERSTOOD GENIUS

* BRIDES MAGAZINE TO START FOCUSING ON PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR LONG-TERM MARITAL HAPPINESS

* BRUSSELS SPROUTS ENJOYING A NEW SURGE IN POPULARITY

* CONGRESS SOLVES THE SOCIAL SECURITY PROBLEM BY SETTING ASIDE THE CURRENT SURPLUS TO PAY FOR NEEDS IN THE FUTURE

* BRITNEY SPEARS DECLARES: I SHOULD TAKE CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND START HELPING OTHER PEOPLE

* FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE